


Fives Lives.

by Ye110wJackett



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:53:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23357287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ye110wJackett/pseuds/Ye110wJackett
Summary: Arc Trooper Fives is saved by Ahsoka Tano, and the two of them, along with both old and new friends, try to bring down the sinister seedling Empire.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 46





	1. First things first

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Fives lives, dammit.

Chapter 1

Fives opened his eyes to the universe. Galaxies rotated amoung hundreds of thousands of stars, nebulas gleamed in-between the masses of glittering beauty. Fives gasped quietly, there was the Nabooian System. His clouded eyes widened as he followed the Braxian Run, some systems were more pronounced than most, but the familiar shining system of Couracaunt, and then the intricate Mandalore shone and rotated brightly. The star systems spun and blinked.

Am I dead? Fives pondered as he scanned the vast space. His tired eyes roamed the galaxy, from the Braxian Run he followed the Gordian Reach, then to the Parlemian Trade Route down to the Corellian Run. His eyes found a familiar system, and he halted on it, staring.

Kamino. Something inside him buckled and shook.

He blinked and tried to focus, the stars, nebulas, and galaxies above him slowly coming to a halt and eventually becoming 2D, ridges of paint where the multitude of stars were spattered became clear. The fakeness of the portrait was stark.

The ceiling is painted, Fives thought slowly. He blinked again and shook his head feeling as though he was entrapped in bacta. A groan made a way out of his dry lips, his head throbbing with every heart-beat. What happened?

Fives looked around him, he was lying in a bed, he felt the springs underneath him creak, the sheets were a painfully bright yellow with animated, smiling purple nuna scattering the fabric. He felt the pillow under his head rustle as he turned to the rest of the room. Fives tried to kick his brain into gear, because the room looked remarkably like a room on a republic cruiser.

And the smell; it was of dirt, some strange vegetation, and for some reason, a hint of Nabooian candles. Fives took a tight breath, there was the scent of bacta and something... Fives opened his mouth, something smelled friendly and vaguely familiar but, he couldn't trust anything 'friendly' right now.

Fives coughed and tried to get up, his legs like jelly. Something was pricking his mind like an angry hornet, buzzing and right on the tip of his tounge. Fives groaned again, fear gripping him. Where am I?

Fives grunted, eyes flicking to and fro. There was a small, rickety table next to the bed with a medical kit open and a bacta patch hanging out of it. An I.V. stand stood next to the bed, cord snaking down to his arm. He sluggishly brought his limb up and pawed at the taped needle lodged in his vein, fear exploding in his chest like a grenade.

Suddenly, small, cool hands were on him, slowly pushing him into the bed, muffled words echoing in his ears. He fought back against the hands, striking out and he started to scream. It's Nala Sè! Nala Sè and the Chancellor! They're going to kill me, they're going to kill everyone! He panicked, terror blinding him.

"Get off!" Fives struggled against the unknown figure, eyes rolling, everything blurry. "No! No! Tup!" Fives saw golden eyes that were always kind roll back into a poisoned skull. He cried out, "Tup! No, Rex! Help me!" But Rex was turning away from him, eyes unbelieving. Fives panted against his assailant furiously, clawing at the smaller attacker. He heard a scream of pain.

"General, please!" He begged, strength waning as the blurry orange attacker started to overpower him, the female's small, tinny, far away voice calling his name. He tried once more for escape, calling out. Maybe Skywalker could hear him before he died!

"There's a plot! There's a plot! Jedi! The Chancellor! Belive me, please!" He was pushed down, wrists forced to his sides, kicking legs held down by the sheets and his assailant on top of him. He struggled once more before he felt something invasive pushing into his mind, tearing at it, forcing it into submission, trying to get him to sleep.

"No! Get out!" He roared, shaking, new energy rushing through him. Ignoring the faint, muffled screaming of 'It's me, Fives!', he grabbed the head and montrals of the attacker and rolled on top of her, knuckles cracking into her cheekbone. Fist coming back to hit her again, he was stopped by her knocking it away, her arm taking the brunt of the blow while her knee came up to slam up into his diaphragm.

The I.V. ripped out of his arm as she flipped him off her and, weakened, his arm flying out to catch himself, he rolled off the bed and landed on the carpeted floor with a crash.

He tried to get up, but his arms kept failing. He grunted as he felt the assailant's hands on him, then a sharp prick in his neck, and suddenly Nala Sè was once again above him. Panting, everything going dark, he used all the strength he had left to flip to his back.

He looked up to the starlit ceiling, saw Fox aiming his blaster, and suddenly Ahsoka was above him, saving him, holding him. Blood trailing down her face from split skin.

Fives groaned, jerking. "'Soka," He rasped, she needs to know, "There's a plot, 'Soka," tears were in his eyes, "Please, please believe me." He begged her before he fell into the black folds of a forced sleep.

-

When Fives awoke again, he felt calmer, more collected, and his brain was no longer foggy. He swallowed and sat up silently, yellow sheets falling off of his bare chest and pooling around his waist. Every muscle creaked and groaned in protest. Shaking away memories that clouded his mind, he began assessing the room.

He was in a Republic cruiser. Or, what was left of one. The ship appeared to be previously wrecked and now thoroughly grounded. Soft sunlight filtered through dancing curtains that swayed to a soft breeze. The makeshift window, he saw, was made possible by the large gash that was torn into the hull's side. Most likely made from the original crash.

Fives saw medical equipment on a night stand near him, all the materials packed in slightly haphazardly. His eyes flicked to a powered down med bot sitting in a chair close to the bed.

A muscle in Fives's jaw twitched, Tup. Memories started to filter in, the Chancellor's plan, Rex and Anakin's refusal to believe him. Fives held his hands up to his head, Fives wielding Rex's blasters, Fox firing... And...

Fives eyes opened, his hands coming down to his bandaged side where he felt where the blaster bolt had grazed him.

Ahsoka. He stood, shaking off the trembles that shook his legs, she saved me. He slid out of the room and into the corridor, his ears catching a faint din of glassware and running water.

Following the sound, memory fragments of her fighting the Couracaunt Guard, her hands gripping him tight as she sped off on a glider, her voice telling him that he was safe, came to him.

He reached the cargo hold. Or what was left of it. Now, it appeared to have been constructed into a large, dented, living room. Fives looked around at everything. The walls were painted with swathes of bright blues, greens, and yellows; large awkward windows with too many corners and not enough glass let in bright sunlight. Even the furniture had either one too many feet, or one too few.

Fives shuddered as his eyes took in his surroundings, an odd feeling creeping up around the bottom of his chest. Fives shook it off, wanting to find what he knew would be Ahsoka.

He reached what could only be considered the kitchen where the sounds of clinking glasses grew louder. Fives paused before entering the room, swallowing hard. What would he tell her? HOW would he tell her? What if she didn't believe him? The weight of the horrible truth hit him again. His heart pounding painfully in his chest, he had a sudden, foreign urge to flee. Fives glared at the doorway, a sudden terror enveloping him, clouding his vision. His breath shortened into pained gasps, his bones trembling so hard that he feared his legs might give way. He blinked away the sudden tears, his calm leaving him swiftly.

"Fives?" Came a familiar voice, soft and warm from behind him. 

He wheeled around with a strangled yelp, fists coming up to defend himself. His legs were shaking.

Ahsoka stood slightly crouched, hands outstretched towards him. Her eyes were kind and when she spoke, her voice was even kinder. "Fives? Hey, it's me," she smiled softly, "It's okay. You're okay."

Fives's fists lowered slightly, shuddering breaths making his body shake. "'Soka," He shook his head, tears streaming down his face, not daring to believe it. Distrusting everything around him, he glared at her. "Where are we?" His voice was harsh, fists defensively coming back up.

He saw her swallow, her movements slow and careful. "Mygeeto."

Fives angrily blinked tears away. "Why'd you save me?"

Ahsoka's face was nothing but serious, "Because I believe in you." Fives took a shocked step back. She hurried on, "I don't know what happened, but I know you, and I wasn't going to let you die." She gazed at him searchingly, "You're my friend."

Fives swallowed hard, trying to regain a sense of control; his emotions were roiling like an angry sea. Ahsoka took a slow step towards him, her eyes soft.

"You can tell me, Fives," she opened up her arms to him.

Fives's heart started breaking, everything crashing down on him in one enormous crushing blow at her words. He wanted to tell her everything. But she might not believe him. Or worse, she might turn him over. He was millions of lightyears away from the Chancellor and the Guard, but still terror engulfed him, gripping him in its ugly maw and trapping him. Tup's dying whisper floated through his ears, Nala Sè's sharp needle injecting black poison deep into his body, reaching all the way to his soul.

His eyes were wide as he stared with horror at Ahsoka. She won't belive me, Fives started to shake again, his heart pounding painfully against his ribs, she's going to take me back, like General Ti did. The world around Fives started to spin, I'm going to die like Tup.

Ahsoka gently pulled his fists down, "Shh," she comforted, eyes catching his, "I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe here. You can trust me Fives, please."

The weight of the truth pressed him on all sides, ripping and tearing at him. Memories and fear suddenly broke through his throat and he was weeping. Ahsoka wrapped her arms around him, holding him up as she gently rocked his sobbing, shaking body. Her fingers brushed over his cut hair as his hands dug into her back as if she were a lifeline. Ahsoka steered him gently onto a couch so his trembling legs could finally give out from under him.

He wept for what felt like hours. He wept for Tup and that little droid that helped him. He cried for the disbelief on Skywalker's and Rex's faces. Holding Ahsoka in an death grip, he sobbed angrily for the Chancellor's plot, his home's betrayal, and the knowing that his beloved Republic failed him and his brothers. He cried for many things, but none so passionate as that he was used. Like some tool you would find in a garage. Not a soldier. Not human. Not even sentient. Just a number to add in the mass-murder of the Chancellor's enemies.

He burrowed his head deeper into Ahsoka. His racking sobs slowing with every pass Ahsoka's fingers made through his growing hair. Her cheek was resting against his head as she gently rocked him. Fives nestled once more into her, breathing in her scent, his heart slowing.

Fives took in a final shuddering breath as he gave Ahsoka one last squeeze before leaning back. Ahsoka ran comforting fingers along his arm and leaned back as well, trying to hide how extremely concerned she was.

Fives ran his hands over his face, shaking his head, before looking up and analyzing her with warm, but bloodshot eyes. His old friend looked like she had just been through a blender. She was sporting a magnificent bruise and stitched cut where her skin split over her cheekbone, and she had many trails of scratches where something had clawed both her face, arms, and montrals. Bruises scattered her skin where someone had grabbed her roughly. She looked terribly tired, and very, very concerned.

A wave of affection flooded him, a smile faltered over his lips, "You look like kark."

The tensed muscles in her jaw relaxed as she hacked out a laugh. She grinned half-happy, half-mollified at him, "I look like kark?" She scoffed, "Didn't know I was a mirror Fives," she quipped merrily.

Fives's faltering grin widened. He was about to respond but before he could there was a loud crash of breaking glass from the kitchen. Smile long forgotten, Fives leapt to his feet, heart pounding up into his throat, he raised his fists yet again, wishing desperately for a blaster, eyes frantically flicking to and fro for any sort of weapon. If she was here, Who the fek was in the kitchen?!

"Hey, it's okay," Ahsoka began hastily, a hand rubbing his bicep. She smiled warmly up at him even though her eyes were worried. She tried to lighten the mood by rolling her eyes comically, "It's just my clumsy droid, I'll be right back." She started towards the kitchen before Fives saw her freeze a little as though she remembered something unpleasant. She cast a bright -too bright- smile over her shoulder then stuck her head in the kitchen.

"TINNY!" She screeched, making Fives jump. "Be quiet and go to the back!"

"IT ONLY BROKE A LITTLE!" Screamed the panicking droid. The voice sounded oddly chilling and familiar; Fives's brow furrowed.

"HEY! SHUT UP AND GET TO THE BACK!" She hollered.

"Roger, roger!" Cried the droid in an unmistakable din.

Fives reeled back with horror and Ahsoka whipped around to face him.

"He's uh-" she started.

"That's a-" Fives began, eyes wide as plates.

"No! Uh, yes. But, NO!" Fives had picked up an electric lamp from a side table and had taken aggressive steps towards the kitchen. Ahsoka swiftly blocked his passage.

"He's reprogrammed! He won't even hurt a fly, I promise."

Fives angrily stepped back from her, dark rage sweeping over him. "You have a Separatist HERE?!"

Ahsoka, knowing she was wading through tricky waters, chose her words carefully. "No! I, me," she gestured to herself, "reprogrammed him myself."

Anger leaving him just as quickly as it had come, Fives gave her an uncertain glance, "For... target practice?"

Ahsoka pursed her lips, "No, usually it's just chores and cooking." She shrugged, "I picked him up at that ancient Seppie base. It took me months to reprogram him. I would really like it if all my hard work did NOT have a hole through his processor." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Also, he kinda flew the ship that saved you."

Fives went to the window to see if he could spot the droid. With a frown he turned to her, "I don't think that's... er," He tried to find the right words.

Ahsoka put a hand on her waist, "Safe?"

Fives shook his head before glancing over at her, "I was going to say, 'smart'."

Ahsoka huffed good-naturedly, "You calling me an idiot, Fives?"

"Maybe a little," The grin that fled from his lips returned again, a small grin sparking over his face. He stood, still gazing good-naturedly at his friend.

Ahsoka's smile widened to a full smile, eyes sparkling. Her smile evaporated instantly, wincing, hand coming up to touch the bruised and puffy stich on her cheek. Fives took a concerned step towards her, face dark.

"Did Fox and his men do that?" He asked quietly, wondering if she was sporting any other deeper injuries.

Ahsoka, making sure the stitches were still in place, gave Fives a smirk that took up the uninjured side of her face. "No, don't worry about it." She gave his bandaged torso an evaluating glare, "How's your side?"

Fives ran his hand over it. "Like it happened a couple of weeks ago." He went still, waiting, head down and eyes staring at a small purple vase where a small red flower was nestled. His eyes closed. He needed to address this.

"What's the damage?" His eyes had a dark steel behind him, prepping himself for the worst.

Ahsoka sighed. "Huge damage. You're public enemy number one as far as the Republic is concerned. The bounty on you is around five hundred thousand credits, probably has gone up."

Fives nodded, unsurprised. Then he jerked his head up in horror, "Did the Guard recognize you?"

Ahsoka tsked and nodded. At Fives's horrified exhale, she tried to comfort him, "I'd rather a bounty on both our heads and having us fight it together, than one of us being wrongly accused and dying for it." There was bitterness to her voice. "The Chancellor-" Fives winced, "thinks you have a brain parasite." Ahsoka's eyes did not leave him, "He says he wants you either quarantined or dead. Which most likely means him or someone else wants you dead."

Fives jerked in stunned amazement, then exhaled in relieved disbelief, "How did you know it wasn't a parasite?"

Ahsoka pursed her lips. "You were poisoned." She answered matter-of-factly, "Slow-acting, usually fatal. Luckily I was able to pull the poison from your body with the Force before it did any permanent damage. I would've sensed a parasite."

Fives sat back down with a thump. "So she wanted to kill me."

Ahsoka sat down next to him, pulling her legs up and after a moment of silence, turning to him. "Who tried to kill you?"

Fives slowly turned so he was facing her, eyes dark and angry. "The Republic."

He told her everything. From Tiplar's death at the hands of Tup, to when the Couracaunt Guard busted in on him, Skywalker, and Rex on the loading platform. He explained everything in intricate detail, Ahsoka listening with rapt attention. At some point they had meandered into the kitchen and she had given him a large glass of water and a plate of some kind of gulash. Fives told her of the chip, how it looked and how Tup's and his differed. He noticed how Ahsoka's eyes flicked to the thin scar right above his tattoo after he told her.

As the sun set on the horizon, Fives told her of General Ti's involvement and how even though she said he would go the jedi, he ended up in front of the Chancellor himself. Him getting poisoned by the chief medical officer in the Kamioan system along the trip.

Ahsoka had let out a strangled little sound when he recapped, word for word every thing the Chancellor had told him.

"And then, I remember you busting in and pushing me away. There was a fight, the Guard's blasters set to kill, and then," He shrugged tiredly, "I guess you carried me off and brought me here." He looked at her wearily, waiting for her to respond. A wild, horrifying, picture of her admitting that he did indeed have a parasite and carting him back to the Chancellor, flashed through his mind.

Ahsoka wasn't looking at him, but instead sipped at her glass of water with care, eyes staring out the window at the darkening sky. She was quiet for a whole minute.

"You're going to fight this." She stated.

"Yes." The shadows under his eyes darkened.

She turned to him, "Then we have a lot of work to do."


	2. Fives Lives Chptr 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fives and Ahsoka plan their next move.

Both agreed that to go and assassinate the Chancellor was an altogether bad idea, since Fives didn't know who else was in on the conspiracy. And Ahsoka concluded that sneaking in and spilling the story to the Jedi Council would probably result in another 'emergency' trip to the dear old Chancellor. Ahsoka forwarded the idea to rope in one of Fives's ARC brothers, but Fives dismissed it bitterly; even if one of his brothers belived them, no one now would listen to a clone.

Ahsoka's hand alighted on her chin thoughtfully, "Kenobi has always had an open mind. We might be able to talk to him without interference."

Fives started nodding before he winced, cursing, "We could if the Chancellor wouldn't be expecting us to go running to the one of the only jedi that we both trust."

Ahsoka cursed with even more venom than him, "Which totally rules out Anakin."

Fives rubbed his temples wearily, warding off a headache he hoped was from tiredness. "What if we can get to General Ti or General Koon?"

Ahsoka paused before she shook her head, "Plo Koon relies too heavily on evidence, and if the Chancellor and the Kamioans have already procured some bantha fodder evidence of the 'parasite', he'd go along with it and try to take us to a medical facility run by the Chancellor, and we're both-"

"Dead. What about Ti?"

She took a minute to answer. Her brow furrowed in intense concentration until she let out a sigh, "As much as you're going to hate to hear this, the last jedi we can trust is Shaak Ti." Even though there was pain in Ahsoka's voice, there was also a finality. "Not only was she there in the ship when you were poisoned, but she also failed in bringing you to the jedi. It's quite convenient." Ahsoka caught his eye, "Too convenient."

Fives felt another wave of hurt sweep past him. Wincing, he broke contact with Ahsoka and instead started counting the colorful fibers in the rug beneath him. "She blocked off my view of Tup," face contorting, he snapped his head up, "You don't think she poisoned him too?"

Ahsoka pursed her lips sadly. "We can't rule it out."

Fives huffed bitterly, "Figures," and said nothing for some time, instead nibbling on some jerky Ahsoka brought out.

Dark silence passed over them. The minutes ticked by slow and steady, until Fives leapt up and with a deafening bellow kicked a footstool, sending it crashing into a wall. It splintered on contact with the durasteel, one of its legs flying off and shattering a purple vase.

"Hey! I live here!" Ahsoka snapped.

Fives stood breathing heavily, eyes on fire. He whipped around on her, "Not for long! The whole karking galaxy is looking for us with the biggest bounty on our heads bounty-hunters have probably ever seen, we don't have credits, we can't prove that the Chancellor is a wicked bastard, 'cause you're an estranged jedi padawan and I'm a clone and it's his word against ours, and whoever built this place probably left records and we'll be found out, and our only peice of ammo is a Seppie droid I can dismantle with my pinkie finger!" Fives counted each harm on his fingers, his fury raging so hot he could see the flames in his eyes. He ignored Ahsoka's protests. "We're running on borrowed time! And the only solution we've come to is that we have no allies! We are ALONE!" Fives jerked to find something else to kick, "If my own General who I'd've died for didn't believe me, who the hell will?! Even the people we're trying to SAVE are trying to kill us! And we're stuck here on this fekking planet in this worthless tin can!"

"ARC TROOPER FIVES!!"

Fives instantly twisted his body, snapping into a salute. His back ramrod straight and mouth clamped shut.

Commander Tano stood in a quiet rage before him, eyes steely. Fives swollowed hard. He had forgotten just how scary his friend could be.

Commander Ahsoka rolled her head, darkly scowling at him. "At ease."

Fives relaxed slightly from his involuntary salute guiltily. Rage quickly receding, he cast a regretful glance back at the poor little footstool that now lay in three uneven pieces under a sizable dent in the wall. He flinched as his eye cought the remains of the shattered vase. He glanced back at Ahsoka and winced, straightening again, "Sorry, Sir- I mean, uh, Ahsoka, I mean, Sir..." Fives trailed off awkwardly.

After a second of staring him down, Ahsoka took in a breath and exhaled, still eyeing Fives, but now in a faintly less hostile manner. "Let's recap," she began crisply, "It seems that I didn't fill you all the way in." She shot Fives a stern glare, "Sit." Fives scrambled and sat in the nearest chair, eyes wide.

"First, we do indeed have an insanely large bounty on us, but that is a good thing. We are now terrifying. Not only are you an ARC trooper and I an ex-jedi, you have some parasite that I'm now probably infected with as well. We are labeled as 'armed and dangerous', only idiots and really skilled bounty-hunters that have taken on this kind of bounty before will take us on. And, contrary to popular belief, there are few bounty-hunters that do these really dangerous jobs." Ahsoka placed her hands together, carefully choosing her next words. "Second," she began, "I've not been idle. I've been running some jobs and getting credits."

A spark of curiosity flared, Fives leaned forward expectantly.

Ahsoka shrugged, "We're not 'Queen of Naboo' rich, but we are well off." Ignoring Fives's go at a question, she continued briskly. "Third; if there is anything you and I have learned from Anakin, it is that nothing is ever impossible. Ever." She shot Fives a glare, "We CAN prove this plot." She kept up the glare until Fives quickly nodded.

Ahsoka stuck her nose in the air, insulted. "And the only record of this house is a mention of a 'burning, empty husk of ancient cruiser that completely fried in a crash' that was logged in the Republic database four years ago, that's now probably holed up in some dusty old memory tank that you and I both know will go completely unnoticed." Ahsoka stomped over to where the broken pieces of the stool lay. "And my /faithful/ droid, Tinny, is from a Separatist base eleven klicks from here." Ahsoka gave Fives a scathing glare, "Wanna know what's inside an old Seppie base with no civilians around to do a little 'shopping'?"

Fives shifted, "Weapons," He responded wearily.

Ahsoka nodded, "We may have no immediate allies, we may be running out of time, but we do have each other." Her arms crossed over her chest irritably, "And finally, the reason the guy who built this 'worthless tin can', as you so eloquently put it, won't be a problem is simply because /I'm/ the guy who built it."

Fives blinked slowly, not comprehending. "You built... this cruiser?"

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes, "Force, you haven't changed one bit."

Mind struggling to catch up, Fives started to nod, "So, you didn't?"

Ahsoka's face went rigid, "Think about it for a second."

Fives, praying for Echo to give him some advice from beyond the grave, glanced frantically around the homemade living room with its awkwardly comfortable furniture that didn't match the multi-colored striated walls, and all the small, battered knickknacks that looked like they came from all over the galaxy scattered a bit messily on a ridge above a newly made fireplace. From the chair he was sitting in, he could see into the kitchen. 

There was fresh green paint on the walls, no spices, but a large, old compactor, a microwave, and a fake plant on the windowsill. He twisted his head, the doorway towards what would be the cockpit of the cruiser was dented into submission to form a loose rectangle that could resemble a doorway. Fives supposed whoever built the ship into this house didn't know how exactly to build one, but tried.

Fives turned to Ahsoka with his best poker face unwilling to give her another wrong answer until the faint glimmer of expectant praise shining in her eyes made Fives gasp.

"/You/ built this?!" He gestured wildly around him.

"Yes," Ahsoka rocked back on her heels, obviously trying to be humble, but failing spectacularly. "Do you like it?"

But Fives wasn't listening. Everything he saw now he viewed in a different light. He stood and looked around him in a full three-sixty degree turn. The curtains were not just blue, they were 501st blue. The many colors of paint on the walls was a conversation that he, Rex, Skywalker, and Ahsoka had about pale walls.

Fives felt a pang of... something. He faced Ahsoka, amazed, "This is your home?" Even though he asked it as a question, he meant it as a statement.

Ahsoka nodded happily, "Yeah," she looked around as if amazed with herself, "I think I built it up nice."

Fives couldn't help but smile wide and broad, "Real nice." His eyes still roamed the living room. He turned to look at Ahsoka, on the verge of saying in no uncertain terms that it was the best house he's ever been in, when he halted. She took him into her home. She was now in incredible danger because of him. She wasn't a jedi, commander, or soldier anymore. /She might lose this/, his smile slowly dissolved. /She might lose more than this./

"I made my choice Fives," Ahsoka turned to him, as though reading his mind, wearing a soft smile, "I'd choose you over a house anyday." She took a step to him, lifting her hand to grip his shoulder comfortingly, "But, I'm not losing my house. We're perfectly safe here." She mock-punched him, "Just as long as you don't kick anything else," she teased.

Fives sighed, his hand coming up to grip hers tightly. Words stuck in his throat, making a sort of choking noise, he tried to tell her... something, but he couldn't form the words.

Ahsoka stepped the last step towards him and embraced Fives. The hug was brief, and ended with Fives leaning down and resting his forehead against hers, "Thank you, Ahsoka."

"You're welcome, Fives."

They parted a minute later, Fives stepping away, "I'll clean up the mess," He began before Ahsoka waved him away.

"Nah, don't bother, it calms Tinny's nerves if he has work to do." She glanced out the window, unimpressed, "He's probably worked himself out of juice just on account of his anxiety."

Fives crossed his arms, "Battle droids have anxiety?"

Ahsoka shrugged, grinning, "He's a lousy droid, but a loyal one."

Fives huffed, "Doubtful," the idea of having a battle droid inside /any/ home was appalling to him. Let alone having one clean, pilot, and cook.

He looked out the window, almost expecting to see the droid right outside, but instead saw dark and empty plains. His brow furrowed, "You have any curious neighbors?"

Ahsoka chuckled, "No. The closest neighbors I have are twenty-two clicks away. And they're not about to trek halfway across the planet to get to a working transmitter." Ahsoka shrugged, "Besides, even if they hated me they wouldn't dare bring /more/ outsiders here. And they don't even know /you/ are here."

Fives nodded, consoled. The responsibility of all his brothers and his friends gnawing at his insides. "Back to planning then?" He asked, turning to her.

Ahsoka stretched then evaluated Fives up and down critically. "No." Ahsoka tsked. "You need more sleep," she began.

Fives groaned, "No, I don't." But his mind was indeed getting fuzzy again.

Ahsoka shook her head, and with authority, ordered him back to the bedroom.

"You sound just like Kix." Fives grumbled irritably.

"Well, I finally understand where he was coming from. I'm not letting you get more hurt after all the effort I put in to save you, /move/!" She poked him in the back.

Fives stalked into the room, stumbling slightly on the mismatched flooring. He gave the yellow bed a spiteful glare. "Just don't let that karking droid in here."

"Tinny's not the droid you should be worried about, but /this/ one..." she side-stepped gracefully around him, then smacked the powered down med bot so hard that it actually woke up.

The bot started and stared at the empty bunk, it turned to Ahsoka and then to Fives. A second passed, the bot still gazing at Fives, Ahsoka patiently waiting, until her comm unit started alerting her. Ahsoka, staring at the droid with as much sarcasm she could put into a glare, raised her arm and opened the channel.

The bot spoke both through the comm unit and aloud. "The human is awake."

Fives's eyebrows skyrocketed to his hairline. He glanced at Ahsoka who was radiating displeasure.

Ahsoka nodded, "I told you his name," she quipped icily.

The med bot took a second, then nodded, "Yes," It turned to Fives, "Hello, Bobo. How are you feeling?"

Fives gave Ahsoka another disturbed glance, "You let that thing near me?"

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, "Relax, I did all the physical labor." She stepped slightly away from Fives before giving the med bot a stern glare, "Read toxins." She ordered.

The bot stood, scanning Fives. It turned stiffly to Ahsoka, "All toxin removed. Residual side effects include; instability, headaches, nausea, confusion. Do not let human operate heavy machinery," Ahsoka nodded, listening to the droning droid.

Fives, procrastinating as long as possible before he had to lay down, started to roam the spacious room. He loved the ceiling. She had painted an intricate star map. He ran his fingers over a large, slightly crooked dresser made out of a material he couldn't place. He picked up a small ball made out of tiny intricate chains wrapped around a dark wooden ball that was laying on the surface. He ran his fingers over it, looking up into the mirror, facing himself for the first time since Tup's death.

He looked /older/ if that were possible. The paleness of his skin make the dark circles under his eyes look like ugly bruises. He looked thinner too, cheekbones jutting out more than they should've. His hair had grown in some, not as thick yet, but still growing. His gotee was kinda a mess, needing grooming and a razor. The scar over his temple was still livid though, puckered and raised slightly, just behind his tattoo.

He brushed his fingers over it. An Inhibitor Chip. A spike of fear popped in his chest. His fingers leaving his scar to feel his chest where the fear originated. /I froze/, he mused, thinking of when he hesitated at the kitchen doorway. /I never freeze/. Then kicking that footstool out of explosive anger. /Is it because I took it out?/

Nala Sè's words came to him, '/it makes them less violent, more willing to obey/'. A shiver passed through him. He didn't want to believe it, but deep inside, he knew. He turned to Ahsoka who was now berating the med bot.

"Now, go to the shed and tell Tinny that you need another tune up. Go." The med bot hurried out of the room. Fives leaned against the dresser, staring at her. Suddenly feeling very, very tired.

Ahsoka watched the med bot leave with narrowed eyes. Her demeanor changed though when they were alone. With a yawn she twisted around to him, "Alright. You heard the bot." She picked up a gourd looking thing from the med kit on the nightstand, tossing it to him with a smile. "Rub that goop on your chest, throat, and underarms. It's the same funky gunk that saved Anakin when we crashed here."

Fives opened the cork at the top of the gourd and gagged. "Yikes," He held his nose, "Pretty sure Skywalker wasn't a happy camper," He ground out.

Ahsoka chuckled, "And they put it on his /face/," she went to a comfy looking chair in the corner of the room, picked up a blanket and tossed it on the bed. "Nice and cozy."

Fives started to rub the green ointment on his chest, scowling. The smell actually wasn't that bad once he got past the initial shock, it actually made him feel a little sleepy. Fives groaned, "Oh, alright," He cocked his head at Ahsoka, then rubbed at his eyes. "I need sleep."

Ahsoka made a sound that resembled a positive grunt and an 'I told you so'. "Come on," she pushed him into the bed gently.

Fives grunted, "Stop treating me like a youngling," He complained, but allowed it anyway.

He sighed as he sat down, the fear still boiling inside of him, "'Soka," He began, wanting sleep but knowing it would evade him till morning, "Can you..." He shook his head, "Nevermind. Where are you going to sleep?"

Ahsoka smiled softly, and strode over to the other side of the room to the comfy chair that the blanket was on, and curled up in it like a cat. Ahsoka stretched, "Right here. Like I'd leave you alone." She pulled a blanket around herself, "You're a danger magnet."

Fives scoffed, laying down, unwilling to show how relived he was that she was staying with him, "Me?" He pulled the sheets up around him, trying to find a comfortable position. "You've been in more trouble ten times more than me. Even Skywalker agrees."

"Bantha fodder," she huffed, and with the Force, turned off the light.

It took some time for Fives to fall asleep, and when he finally did, it lasted for only a second before he woke in a cold sweat. Fives curled up into a smaller ball facing the wall. He missed Tup. He missed his brothers. Fives tried to think about Ahsoka just feet away, but the ache of knowing his brothers that he's known all his life were so far away in every aspect took up all his mind. For the first time in his life he felt alone. And that hurt worse than any blaster bolt. Fives bit his lip hard as he curled more in on himself. /Why'd they leave me?/ he thought, biting back silent tears, /Why'd they try to kill me?/ The space around him was frigid and dark, and it encompassed him like the frost of Hoth.

Another body gently slid in next to him, cool hands wrapping around his torso under his arms, her head resting against the back of his neck. Ahsoka curled up around him. Fives stiffened, then relaxed against her, gripping her hands over his chest with his larger ones. His fear leeched away from him, and whether it was because she had pushed it away with the Force, or it simply going away because he felt protected in the arms of his friend, Fives didn't care, for the first time believing that everything would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how to keep my italics in this format. If the slashes are annoying I'll go back to none. Feed back is awesome! Thx!!

**Author's Note:**

> AN: There will be more! I'll stick to canon as best as I can, all except the obvious of course lol


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